Hearts Unfettered💞

11

After dropping Khushi back at Laxmi Nagar, Arnav went back to Shantivan that night and informed them about Khushi's plans to start business and their trip to Ahmedabad. While Nani, Mamaji and Anjali appreciated her initiative, Mami took it well but still made a small snide remark about Phati Saari, which Arnav decided to ignore for now but Nani reprimanded her.

Later that night, Arnav and Anjali sat by the swing on the terrace.

"How is therapy?", Arnav asked.

"Good I guess. Hard for sure. Very hard, but I am trying.", she replied meekly playing with the single chain on her neck. It looked weird seeing her without Sindoor and Mangalsutra just like seeing Khushi without them did. He didn't believe in these, but knowing how much significance these things held for them, it hurt them that he failed in protecting their happiness.

"I am sorry I failed you Di.", Arnav apologised and Anjali looked at him in shock.

"What?"

"I am sorry I couldn't protect you.", Arnav said and Anjali shook her head and denied.

"Nobody could protect anyone Chote. Somethings are meant to happen like that. You are not responsible for anything that happened. If anyone I am responsible for my own state. Please don't ever hold yourself guilty. Shyam is the culprit and he is the only culprit. We were all victims in form or the other.", she said running her hands through his hair as he put his head on her shoulder.

"And I am Khushi's culprit.", Arnav said absentmindedly.

"No, you are not.", she said comfortingly and he stiffened.

"I am. I misunderstood her, forced her, I ...", he tried saying but all the words got struck in his throat.

"What do you mean?", Anjali looked at him seriously and he decided to tell her. It was getting harder by the day carrying the guilt of his crimes. Though Khushi said she forgave him before the marriage, after the wedding didn't happen and even when she said she didn't want to marry, he was not convinced. He knew he lost some part of her.

He also knew she had her own reasons for not marrying him right away, but he couldn't shake off the fear that one of the many reasons was because she didn't really forgive him.

"On the day of Akash and Payal's wedding ..", he started and told her the whole story of how he misunderstood her, blackmailed her to get married, and the kidnap and everything that followed.

By the time he was done, both of them were in tears.

"I ...I don't know what to say...how ..how could you? You ? How could you do all that? To Khushi ?", she asked looking at him with such disappointment that it felt like a punch in the gut.

"I ...misunderstood her ..", was his only response.

"No, you always had a very low opinion of her, and when a situation that proves your theories showed up, just jumped into the worst possible conclusion."

"I love her Di.", he cried.

"That's not enough Arnav.", she said getting up and walking away.

Arnav went back to his gym to sweat his anger, sadness, and pain away.

.-~*~-..

The next day, Arnav and Khushi flew to Ahmedabad in the afternoon and settled down in hotel while Arnav asked to find a good realtor to get an estimation of the property. From the information Garima had, Khushi's parents also had some farmland in a village few hundred miles from Ahmedabad but because she didn't have any property documents for that, she wasn't sure. She gave the village name and one of Khushi's late father's close friends names.